Blue Bell and Bluebonnets...doesn't get any better than that!

Recently Kendall and I took a day to have a Mommy & Me adventure. We headed up 290 in search of blue bonnets. I had also been wanting to take her to the Blue Bell Creamery, but since they are closed on the weekends it's been near impossible for us to make a family trip up there.
So, Kendall and I just went on our own, leaving poor daddy stuck in the office.

Kendall had a fantastic time at the Blue Bell plant (sorry, no pictures allowed inside the actual tour...it's all top secret stuff). Their tours are really fun (and short, thank goodness)...and they end in the most wonderful way...with a free scoop of hand-dipped ice cream! Kendall indulged in "birthday cake" flavor, which was admittedly pretty yummy.

Kendall's favorite part (outside of the ice cream eating) was running around on the gorgeous grounds outdoors, and she also enjoyed "shopping" their adorable gift shop. Definitely a fun day trip we recommend!

By the trademark Blue Bell girl & cow:

Sitting on the first freezer truck--circa approx. 1930s I believe.

A few lovely pictures in their pretty courtyard.



From there we headed out Hwy. 105 in search of a bluebonnet patch to take the Texas traditional kid-in-bluebonnet pictures that are a staple around here. The flowers were everywhere around us, but the biggest patches were behind fences (w/signs that said "no trespassing/private property") so we didn't risk it there. I found us a nice little patch on a stretch of road between Brenham and Navasota. I changed K's clothing and got busy snapping. Unfortunately Kendall wasn't as cooperative as I'd hoped--she was pretty mezmerized by all the beautiful blue flowers...so I did the best I could. Here are a few of my favorites from the bunch:







And we're done! (aka mommy's camera battery went dead)

Strawberry picking!

It was a gorgeous day out on Monday....clear and in the 70's...a perfect day to spend outdoors. So we headed to the local strawberry patch for Kendall's first strawberry picking experience. It's safe to say she LOVED the entire adventure!

She eagerly grabbed her bucket:


...and got busy picking!


She caught on pretty quick that you had to find the biggest, reddest ones....and to pull from the stem, not strawberry.


Look at these beautiful plants!


She stepped in a bit of mud (see her left foot), but even that wouldn't deter her:


She picked out several especially for daddy!


Showing off her goods:


So proud of herself!


She then brought them up to the counter to be weighed:


And then took a break on the branch of a big old tree nearby to try a taste.


Whew! All in a hard day's work.

Happy Spring!

We've been super busy around the Balfour house these days. Daddy & mommy both have a lot going on with work & Kendall stays super busy with her many activities.
Now that the weather is nice--Kendall loves spending time outdoors. Even more so now that she has a brand new play ground of her very own!
We'd contemplated getting one for about a year now, and the company was running a great special on last year's models, so we went for it. Kendall couldn't be more thrilled!

These are some pictures of Kendall checking it out for the very first time a few weeks back:



She totally loves the swing the best:

But the slide is fun, too!

Kendall and her daddy enjoy playing outside together on the weekends when mommy is at work & Kendall also loves having her friends over to play with her during the week. Even one of the cats, Bailey, has played with her on it! Kendall thinks he likes the slide best!


The only person less than thrilled with this new contraption is the lawn guy! But luckily for him, our back yard is now at maximum capacity....no more room for anything else!
Hands down, a great investment that should last us many, many years!

A little thank you shout-out to those of you who donated to her Playground Fund for last year's birthday! We did (finally) put that $ to good use!